We had a few goals in mind when we came to Argentina. Things that we felt we needed to accomplish to say that our time here was effective and that we completed what God had planned for us. Last night another one of those steps was fulfilled. Then later today we start into another phase of ministry to accomplish another goal.
There are several people in the church who are doing well with signs, but two have surpassed all the others in their desire to learn and burden for the ministry. They have taken the initiative to insert themselves into the deaf community and start learning from the Deaf as much as possible. However, neither one of them have interpreted when Deaf were present at church. Until last night.
This is a husband and wife couple. We knew the day before that there would be Deaf at our special missions conference service last night (Saturday night). I asked them early Saturday morning if they would be willing to interpret. Both eagerly agreed. However, they were very nervous about it by the time Saturday evening arrived. The husband came to me just before the service started and said that he enjoyed talking to the Deaf before the church service but his heart was pounding out of his chest at the thought of interpreting the music. He has only interpreted a couple of times previously, so this would have been a huge step for him. To keep him from having a heart attack I told him he did not have to interpret. The wife was in tears with nervousness just before the service started. I told her I would take over at any point she felt like she was not able to clearly communicate.
The service went well. She interpreted the whole thing. The two Deaf who were there understood her on a basic level. They come from a different educational background than the Deaf from our city, plus many of their signs are different. The interpreter tried to keep things on their level, but it was also a new experience for her. She was thankful for the opportunity. I don’t know that I could have communicated any better with them than she did.
Last night was a confirmation that we really aren’t needed anymore. Because of our goals here, that is a great feeling.
Tonight we start teaching sign language in a new church. We are excited about the possibilities in this church. We are also thrilled with their desire to see Deaf reached with the Gospel. We appreciate your prayers as this class will last several weeks. I pray that the students learn well and quickly.
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